Corey Hart: Fields of Fire (1986)

There's simply no reason to own this record. The first two records are sort of interesting, but this is uninspired and flat. Why was this record even released?

Corey Hart: Boy in the Box (1985)

Hart scored another big hit with the track Never Surrender, which appeared on Boy in the Box, his second offense. This album is similar to the first, but I don't think any of the tracks are as catchy as Sunglasses at Night. Still, it's a competent follow-up, but not one that I love. I paid nothing for this record. Once again, he couldn't resist the sappy element. Just try to make it through Everything in My Heart, a truly awful stinking pile of crap.

The title track makes me think of Duran Duran, but maybe that's just because of the video.

Corey Hart: First Offense (1984)

"Don't switch the blade on the guy in shades; oh no
Don't masquerade with the guy in shades;
(oh no) (I can't believe it)
You got it made with the guy in shades; oh no"

I'll admit that this is a rather embarrassing part of my record collection, but I paid nothing for it. Somewhat interestingly, an old friend's brother went to high school with Mr. Hart. That's three degrees of separation, for those of you who are counting.

I have to say that First Offense is a kind of a brilliant and perhaps ironic title for this record. I don't think any artist has done better and it makes me laugh. On the other hand, it's probably his best record, as it contains his big hit, Sunglasses at Night, which was marketed with a cheesy video. I'll admit that there was a time when that song seemed OK to my ears. It no longer does, except in a nostalgic way. The opening sometimes makes me think that the Eurythmics were a big influence, and maybe they were. On the other hand, this record also contains the appalling It Ain't Enough.

This record screams 80s, but not the good 80s. As Allmusic notes: "All the cliched '80s sounds are here in full force, from the brooding saxophone, the bratty guitar solo, the snotty background vocalists, and the catchy keyboard riffs." [source] I have no idea what a bratty guitar solo is and I have even less idea of what snotty background vocalists are, but that sentence encapsulates the record perfectly.

I do like a woman in uniform :)